Manchester City survived an early scare as Pep Guardiola’s men went down by 2-0 in the first half of their encounter against Swansea City in the quarter-final of the FA Cup. The Welsh club took the Manchester City defence to the swords in the first 30 minutes and scored two goals via Matt Grimes and Bersant Celina. But the reigning Premier League champions kept their hope of winning a quadruple alive as they came back strongly in the second half to overturn the lead and win the match 3-2.
Bernardo Silva started the onslaught for the Citizens with a powerful outstep to beat the Swansea goalie Nordfeldt. Sergio Aguero came on as a substitute and joined in the act with one goal while the other one came off Nordfeldt. Aguero’s spot-kick hit the post and went into the goal off the back of the goalkeeper. The Argentine headed home from close range to win the contest for his side just when it was seemingly going into extra time.
Here is how the Manchester City players were rated from their marginal win over Swansea City.
Ederson: 6
Had a horrific first 30 minutes as he could not do anything but watch Swansea go ahead by two goals. Did not have much to do in the second half though with the Swansea players more busy with defending their own goal.
Kyle Walker: 6
Looked a little on the backfoot in the first half as the opposition attackers got the better of him. Did well in the second half though as he initiated attacks with his pace and passing.
Aymeric Laporte: 5
Looked clueless in the first half against the Swansea City attackers. Should have done better to prevent Celina from scoring the second goal.
Nicolas Otamendi: 6
Was completely overshadowed by Celina and Grimes in the first half. Came back well in the second half though and restricted the opposition attackers from threatening the goal.
Fabian Delph: 5
Gave away an early advantage to the Welsh side with his foul on Connor Roberts in the box. Was taken off in the second half and was replaced by Zinchenko.
Ilkay Gundogan: 6
Was unable to keep the opposition attackers under check in the first half on most occasions. Dished out a diligent display in the second half to keep them quiet.
David Silva: 7
Tried hard to find openings from the word go and kept pressing for the goal. Kept getting the ball into the danger area on many occasions.
Bernardo Silva: 7
Superb composure from the Portuguese as he brought his side back into the match with an excellent finish from his left foot. Kept passing accurately into the opposition box and opened up acres of space for Aguero to capitalise on.
Riyad Mahrez: 6
Could not breach the Swansea defence early on. Made the match come alive with his darting runs and sublime footwork.
Leroy Sane: 5
A lacklustre performance from the German as he could not make an impact from the left-hand side. Was later replaced by Raheem Sterling.
Gabriel Jesus: 6
Kept pressing for the goal and threatened the Swansea defence with his classy skills. Could not get any goal to show for his efforts though.
Substitutes
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 6
Looked to get the ball up the pitch whenever he got the opportunity. Did well in short stint as the defender.
Raheem Sterling: 7
Put on a great shift as he kept getting into the box since coming on. Earned the penalty for his side as Carter-Vickers brought him down into the box.
Sergio Aguero: 8
His first effort from the spot went into the goal off the back of Nordfeldt, but he reminded everyone of his quality as he headed home from close range to get his side all three points. A top-notch performance from the Man of the Match.
Notable Mention
Kristoffer Nordfeldt: 7
His performance between the bars was outstanding on the night. Proved why goalkeepers are referred to as the last line of defence. Hats off!
